You Never Leave Parsons - Graduation & Final Thoughts

Parsons School of Fashion Graduation 2012

One of our last nights working in the studios

So, its already July 2012, and somehow my time at Parsons has come to an end. A year and a half has flown by and I have suddenly found myself standing at the beginning again. As a recently graduated designer, I now find myself before the formidable task of finding a job I love in the industry that I adore. I am excited, exhilarated, nervous and curious to see what is next for me.

But I digress. Lets talk about this final semester at Parsons. This time around, I decided to take it easy - taking on a low workload of 4 classes


and an internship as compared to the 7/8 classes workload I have become accustomed to in the previous semesters. I decided that I had worked hard enough and I wanted to take the time to take care of myself and enjoy what could be my last few months in NYC (which btw, I had hardly explored thus far).

Georgina & Keren

I had scored my dream internship at Marchesa the semester before and was ecstatic about starting work there and being able to actually see and learn how those exquisite gowns were made. And boy what a learning experience it was. Marchesa internships are some of the most highly coveted and it is not only because people are dying to work with such an esteemed label, but its because of the amount of work that is delegated to the interns. Interns at Marchesa are trusted with tasks ranging from dyeing fabrics and trims to fabric manipulation, draping, embroidery design and of course, lots and lots of hand sewing. The hours are long, even for the interns, but the dedication of their design team and the presence of Keren Craig and Georgina Chapman motivates you to stay behind and help out even after-hours. I can honestly say that I learnt so many things that helped me to create my final projects for Couture and Construction 3 at school, skills, techniques and ideas which I would never have been exposed to otherwise.

Brigitte's Couture techniques samples

Professor Brigitte Conti

At school, I was taking classes I enjoyed with the professors I love. I carefully selected my courses to further my passion for couture and evening wear design and I could not have chosen any better. My Construction 3 class with Joyce enabled me to utilize all the skills I had learned thus far and create the garment of my dreams exactly the way I wanted it. It was amazing to have someplace where I could literally create something that was truly my own, in short, a designer's dream to show off their aesthetic and creative skills. Couture techniques with Brigitte focused on fabric manipulation techniques. I found her class especially challenging as she pushed me to explore a new aesthetic, and think outside the box without losing my own aesthetic. Brigitte's class enabled me to learn design from a couture perspective, and it took more than a a few dozen sketches and samples before we finally agreed upon a design that was fresh, unexpected, unique and yet still completely something I wanted to create.

All this combined with my Marchesa internship taught me what couture was all about. That is, a lot (and I mean a LOT) of hand sewing and patience. Marchesa showed me to effort that goes into creating every single exquisite piece that is now expected from the label. Everything is possible. Can't find the exact shade you were looking for? Then stand by the dyeing stand in the kitchen and spend an entire 8 hour day mixing colors and making samples until you get that exact one you want. Trims? Look for them in both high-end and discount stores, then dye them to make sure they match exactly. Cut them out, play with them to create something that nobody has ever seen before. Parsons and Marchesa were quite possibly the perfect combination for my final semester, they both pushed me to think outside the box and never to settle for anything less than what I had in my mind. And this invaluable lesson will be something I will always carry with me into every aspect of my future and my life.

All in all, my experiences at Parsons exceeded my expectations. It is a school which, if you let it, will guide you and hone you to become whatever you want to be and give you every single opportunity you can dream of. Despite the workload and the frequent tears and frustrations, it was the best decision I ever made in my entire life, and for any of you considering the school and weighing its costs (which admittedly are insanely high), do it, you will not regret a single moment.

Officially a Parsons Graduate!

Marchesa Internship

For an aspiring eveningwear designer, working at Marchesa has been a long time dream of mine. and I am lucky enough to have snagged a highly coveted Design Intern position at the label in my third and final semester at Parsons.

I have only just completed my first week at work and therefore have just begun the process of learning everything there is to learn at this internship. So far though, I am thrilled, and it meets my expectations in every possible way.

I have already seen Georgina Chapman and Keren Craig, I LOVE the girl I work for and despite the long hours, the work is extremely hands on. I have already learned how to dye fabrics and have mirrored and sewn in embroidery patterns into a stunning shift dress which will be featured in the fashion show on Feb 15th at the Mercedes Benz NY Fashion Week!!

I will update this posting later in my internship, but for the time being, I am simply psyched to have been given this opportunity to learn couture and eveningwear design from the best in the industry - that too while taking Couture Techniques and Construction 3 at school

Construction 2 @ Parsons The New School for Design

The immense pool of talent that exists at Parsons the New School for Design is undeniably intimidating. People from all over the world have worked hard to gain a position at this selective and prestigious institute.

The Fashion Design AAS program is probably home to some of the most determined, creative and hardworking design students in the world. These pupils have already completed degrees in various disciples ranging from Law and Medicine to Textile Design and Art History from some of the best unversities in the world. These young professionals left their jobs and careers to pursue their passion for Design and dreams of becoming a successful Fashion Designer. As a result of their experiences and sacrifices to be here, the stakes are considerably higher. These students have a sense of discipline and determination that is unparalleled as they know exactly what they want to do and what they need to do to achieve it. They do not party, they do not socialize, they simply strive to make their dreams a reality and make their time at Parsons worthwhile.

And in this highly competitive and challenging program, no course is a greater test of the students' worth than the mandatory Construction 2 class. This notorious 6-hour class is where you truly get to see what your colleagues are made of. Taken in the 2nd semester, everyone has finally gotten down the basics of Construction and these aspiring designers are itching to show off their talent and skills in their highly unique and awe-inspiring designs.

Every professor teaches Contruction 2 in their own unique way. Our teacher, Valentina Kova was young, fresh and full of ideas. Being an alumni of the program herself, she taught the course in a manner which constantly kept us on our toes. Every single week, we were taught a new garment or technique and then we were sent to go and create our own interpretation of it, complete with fabric and trims, for the following week. She asked us to choose our inspiration at the beginning of the semester and encouraged us to create every assignment keeping this inspiration in mind, so that by the end of the course, we had an entire collection of original designs.

For our final, we were asked to present our inspiration and final garment in class, and I was so awestruck by the caliber of work that was presented that there was no way I could not share it with you all here. I am presenting to you what I feel is quite possibly of the most inspiring, dedicated and motivating group of people I have ever had the pleasure of working with - and I look forward to seeing them in my classes again next semester. See the slideshow above for the final projects created by the students in Valentina's Fall 2011 Construction 2 class.